Living in the Shadows
by KittyPurryHGHP
Summary: Twin sisters feel as if the other twin is prettier, or better, or more talented. There's always a reason. But jealousy shan't reign when Anna Clare and Sonya Blaire go to a school where they are finally normal. They have to learn how to bring out the best in themselves and in each other.
1. The Little White Blobs

Sonya

I wake up to find Anna Clare in her not-so-graceful sleep. Mouth wide open, arms and legs sprawled around, and she ought to sleep with her hair in a ponytail or braid or bun or something; she'll get strangled by her own thick hair. I wish I had Anna's hair. My hair is thin and ugly, I just hate it. Anna says that my hair is perfectly fine, and that I should have more confidence in myself. But Anna Clare is perfect. How can I have confidence in myself when I am constantly being compared to my perfect twin sister?

When I look at her every morning, I wonder how we can be twins. We're so different! I'm tall and I'm practically a toothpick. Mother says that Anna and I are average height, but I think I'm too tall and Anna thinks she's too short. And I have awful eyesight. It's pretty much a miracle that I can make out Anna's pink, green, and blue braided bracelet. It's her favorite. I guess I can only see it right now because I'm so used to it on her wrist. Anna has 20/20 eyesight.

I guess people know we're sisters because our personalities are similar. We both have outrageous ideas, and we are both hesitant to speak our mind. We also love adding color to our hair. I get the bobby pin that holds colorful, curly strands of faux hair. One strand in pink, purple, blue, and green; Anna's favorite colors, and mine too. I always put my hair in a side ponytail using a sparkly green hair tie. Anna and I like to call them doodads or baubles. Anna Clare either puts her hair in a bun or in pigtails, and uses pink and purple flower-shaped hair clips for decoration. We both have side bangs, and Anna loves dressing them up with sparkly blue hair mascara.

Anna sleep picks at her side bangs, so in the morning, her bangs are more of a faded baby blue than the popping cyan that she loves so much. And her long thumbnail that she quit biting has a blue tint from picking at it. I giggle slightly, but quickly stifle a laugh. If I wake Anna up in the morning, it's for a reason. It has to be, she'll kill me if it's not. Sometimes, she's a real heavy sleeper, so I tickle her right under her nose. It's hilarious to watch her sleep-spazz and rub her nose to stop the tickles. I'm about to risk my life for another nose tickle, when something catches my eye.

There are two white blobs sticking out from the fireplace. I squint and get closer, but then result to my glasses. It looks like two pieces of paper. Thinking I'm hallucinating, I wake Anna Clare.

"Anna! Wake up!" I whisper.

"What? Where's the wallpaper?" she sits up abruptly.

"Wallpaper? What kind of dream did you have last night?" I chuckle.

"Mom wanted me to get the red and white striped wallpaper and put it in our room, but I couldn't find it!" She seems genuinely confused.

"Anna Clare, it was just a dream. Now, look over at the fireplace and tell me what you see." Anna Clare gets up and pulls the pieces of paper out.

"One has your name on it. One has mine." She says, curiously.

She's right. One of the pieces of paper, which turns out to be an envelope, has _Miss Sonya Blaire Worley _written on it in green ink.

"How curious," Anna observes. "Our address isn't on here, and there is no return either..."

"Yes, very...curious." I comment. "On the count of three? One...Two...THREE!" My twin sister and I rip open the envelopes, and I am speechless.


	2. The Man in the Cloak

Anna

_Dear Miss Worley, _

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equiptment. _

_Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl by no later than July 31st. _

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Minerva McGonagall _

_Deputy Headmistress_

"What kind of hoax is this?" I ask.

"One by a real prankster." Sonya says.

"Real stalker too," I say. "This was in our fireplace. Who got into our house to do this?" But right at that moment, Sonya and I get a little distracted. An owl ducks into the room.

"GET IT OUT GET IT OUT!" I screech. Sonya and I hop around the bed trying to catch it. Sonya has terrible balance, and she ends up falling off the bed. I'm jumping around and finally I clasp my hands around the little bird.

"I got it!" I yell.

"Great!" Sonya gasps. "Now where the heck did it come from?" We turn around to try to throw the owl back up through the fireplace, when a cloaked man with a long beard and half-moon glasses appears.

I screamed at the sight and Sonya may have swore. Then I quickly grab one of the tools by the fireplace, I'm not quite sure which one, and aim it at the man.

"Mom!" Sonya screams.

"Alright. I don't know who you are, or how the heck you got into our house, but may I suggest you get the heck OUT before Mom gets down here."

"You better pray to God that she's having a slow day or she'll whoop your little tail!" Sonya says, her voice quivering as she attempts to act unafraid.

"She'll whoop your tail anyways!"

"I am Albus Dumbledore." This is all he says.

"Dumbledore?" Sonya gets her letter. "Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Order of Merlin, First Class; Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and Grand Sorcerer." At last, Mom gets downstairs and sees Dumbledore.

"Who the hell are you? What the hell are you doing in my house? How the hell did you get in here?" She spits.

"I am Professor Albus Dumbledore; might I speak to you in the kitchen Miss Worley? I believe a few explainations are in order."

"I should hope so!" Mother shows Dumbledore into the kitchen.

After a few minutes, Sonya and I end up eavesdropping.

"So you think you can just enter my home, uninvited, hand my daughters some letters, and you just expect me to send them to England-some unable to be plotted part of England- for some school of _magic?_ Who the hell do you think I am?" We hear mother rant.

"Now Miss Worley, I know this is all sudden-"

"I do think this is all sudden! You couldn't have told me that my daughters were magical when they were born?"

"Magical qualities and abnormal activities do not show enough effect until age six. And this is-"

"And what about my youngest, Raquelle? Is she magical too?"

"I'm afraid not, Miss Worley. Just Anna and Sonya."

I had heard enough, but many questions still remain. I just sit patiently and quietly and listen on. Houses? Diagon Alley? _England?_

"This is too much. I can't do this. No. I'm sorry Professor. This won't work."

And that was that.


	3. The Diagon Alley and the Wand Shop

Sonya

Nevertheless, Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore found a way. Mom was able to take 12 days off of work to come to England with us, and Dumbledore showed us around. We ended up in a little-I want to say shopping center-called Diagon Alley. Raquelle had a million questions to ask, and she couldn't even remember Dumbledore's name!

"Mister Fumbygore?" she says. Dumbledore answers to it."Don't the other kids like Sonya and Anna need a visit from you too?"

"Yes they do, Raquelle. And I can get to them because I have a Time Turner."

"What's a Time Turner Mister Rumbleroar?" And it goes on like this for a while. Anna and I want to just look at every store and shop and cart. Oh, and we found our new favorite drink! _Butterbeer!_ When we first got some, Mom had to check it first to make sure it wasn't spiked or anything; she didn't quite trust Dumbledore on _everything._ But butterbeer is the most delicious thing, it's sweet and fizzy and I'm totally addicted to the froth on the top. AH! It beats pumpkin juice, which just tastes like apple juice with pumpkin spice, any day!

We went to Ollivander's next to last. I have to say, I was a little more nervous than excited on that one. I didn't know what to expect! I mean, Flourish and Blotts was a bookstore, so you'd expect books! On magic of course. The ice cream shop was ice cream, and Madame Malkin's Robes were robes! I expected wands, of course, at Ollivander's. But I didn't know just how akward things can get in a wand shop with just you, your twin sister, and Ollivander. And of course, Mom, Raquelle, and Dumbledore believe that this is a "private affair," whatever that means. I have never felt so babyish as to want my mommy there to hold my hand.

"Miss Worley! And Miss Worley! How wonderful it is to meet you!" Ollivander greets us. Anna gives me a look that says "Is everybody a stalker around here?" I shrug at her.

"I'm Sonya, and this is Anna. We'd like to get our wands please."

"Well what else would you be here for?" He chortles.

"Not much." Anna mumbles.

"Now, the first thing you need to know about wands is that 'the wand chooses the wizard.' Or the witch in this case."

"Like they have minds or something?" I ask.

"Yes. Like they have minds..." Ollivander says with a far-away look. "Well, let's get started. Let's see here...Aha! Miss Anna, you try this one, and Miss Sonya gets this one." He hands each of us a wand. Anna looks at me. I look at Anna. We nod, and grasp the textured wood.

Upon contact, Anna's wand sparks, and mine leaps away.

"Nope, maybe not."

Anna and I go through several combinations of wands. Some screech. Some freeze. With some, nothing happens. Then, Ollivander hands me the 42nd wand. I sigh and take it. I feel a tingling sensation buzz inside me, and I feel untouchable.

"Ah! Now, Miss Sonya, strongly and clearly say _Alohomora." _He turns off the lights.

"_Alohomora."_


End file.
